cardinal tetras and guppies

[Scuba Diver]

Just curious but I have read alot on these 2 fish. I recently bought some guppies from Petsmart and really have been fighting to keep them alive (Over half have died and been replaced). According to Petsmart they classify these as hardy yet they just dont do so well. They are the only ones I am having trouble with as the other fish are doing well.

Now my cardinal tetras seem happy though they really never come off the bottom and tend to want to hang out in the plants towards the center of the tank and are full color (Which I have read is a good sign as color loss is related to stress) They are quiet playful but never really come out to play in the open much. Dont know if this is normal behavior or not.

The tank does have a slight current in there as I am running duel filters on it so not sure if this is playing any major role in the 2 things I mentioned above but just wanted to bring this out into the conversation.

Now for the point being of the thread. Do the tetras like some current? Is the guppies from here bad about dieing? I have heard they were and just asking opinions about pets mart.

 

[librarygirl]

Hi! Just a few questions so I can determine what's going on:

How long has the tank been set up with fish?
How large is the tank and how many fish and what kind are in it?
Did you properly cycle the tank first?
Do you have a test kit to test the water?
Have you done any water changes?

My first guess would be ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning from the cycling process. Cycling means growing the beneficial bacteria in your tank (mostly in your filters) that will consume the ammonia (through waste) that your fish will put out. Until that happens your fish are swimming in toxic water. So you'll need to do daily water changes to keep the levels low enough until the tank establishes itself.

The first thing you should do is a 70% water change with dechlorinated water (whatever dechlorinator you have is fine, but if you can get Prime at some point it's one of the best to use) and then get a good test kit if you can; liquid is best as it'll last longer and is more accurate, but anything you can get for right now is good.

There's a link in my signature called: "new tank with fish." It'll guide you through the process.

Let me now if you think this is what's going on.

 

[Scuba Diver]

I did go through the cycle though it took a bizare twist. I have been monitoring the ammonia levels and they dropped to zero. However there never has been any sign of nitrites and they never showed up. The tank was however heavy with nitrates. Go figure. Has this ever happened to any one?

 

[BBradbury]

Your Guppies and Tetras

Hello Scuba...

The Guppy farms that raise these fish have fallen on hard times, because of disease. Guppies raised in these farms aren't as hardy as they used to be. The good news is healthy stock is available, but you need to find the "Mom and Pop" places to get the good ones. Once you get them, you can keep them in good shape through a lot of clean water flushed through the tank, small, balanced meals every few hours and dose a teaspoon of standard aquarium salt in every five gallons of your water change water. In my very, very humble opinion, standard aquarium salt is beneficial for most tropical fish.

All Tetras are schooling fish and schooling is critical to them if they're going to stay healthy. So, you need a minimum of 7 to 10. Tetras are very skittish and take time to get used to a new environment. So, that was good tank management to put them in with the peaceful Guppies.

I'd recommend patience on your part. Follow a sound tank maintenance routine and your fish will be fine.

B